6 S i ntroducti on
Many of the activities are designed to complement the tasks and routines that
are part of each family child care day. Activities have also been developed to easily
complement the overall goals of a quality family child care program:
healthy physical development for all the children•
age-appropriate cognitive development•
opportunities for the development of good language and communication •
skills
creation of an environment that enhances social and emotional •
development
The activities in this curriculum purposefully encourage you to be an interactive
participant. This is an especially important component in family child care, where
commonly only one adult is present. The most necessary prerequisite in providing
quality child care is your willingness to actively participate in the program. Regardless
of how expensive or how abundant the materials and equipment, the happiest and
best-adjusted children are in the homes of providers who are the most directly and
consistently involved. Cost-effective and easily implemented activities that allow you
to interact with each participating child enrich your program.
The activities are designed to capitalize on the available space in a traditional
home-based setting. This is important. Perhaps one of the most dramatic changes in
family child care in the past ten years is the growing trend to create settings that rep-
licate center-based environments. Many providers have additions or converted base-
ments, or have turned over large sections of their living space, all with the intention
of creating settings much like those one might encounter in a child care center. One
reason providers do this is to accommodate additional children and generate more
income. Other providers have expressed the desire to maintain their competitiveness
with child care centers while feeling this type of renovation is the only method avail-
able to them. Ironically, these types of changes have occurred during a period when
many centers are simultaneously attempting to create more intimate and cozy settings,
or less “institutionalized” child care environments.
The most successful family child care programs are located in homes where pro-
viders have chosen materials and activities that complement the uniqueness of their
environments. Good management of space and time are essential in the operation
of a thriving family child care business. When writing your schedule of activities,
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